Machine for repointing phonograph-needles.



n; cA'usEY i MAcnmuon*neFolu'nyefPH'bnoaR/WH uEEoLEs.

' nucn'mn msu sm. ze. 1911. f v

' Patented Feb. 19, 1918.

2 sains-sneer l.,

DMV/6L ng Cal/@EY l' A- among D. W. CAUSEY.

MACHINEOH REPOINTING PHONOGRAPH NEEDLES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2,5,l 1911- 1 ,256,978. pafanfapw, 191s.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ,ZM/rifL W, Cn usar 7k; atroz ne q "n citizen of the United UNTED 'STATES DANIEL W. CAUSEY, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

MACHINE FOR REPOINTING PHONOGAPH-NEEDLES- Application filed September 25, 1917.

To all whom it may Concern.'

Be it known that I, DANIEL W'. CAUSEY, States, residing at Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk andState of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines foi' Repointing Phouograph-Needles, of which the l following is a specification.

This invention relates to grinding and sharpening devices, and more particularly to :i `novel improvement in machines-- for reponitiiig phonograph needles.

As is well known graphophonc needles are inade of a relativelyv high grade of steel, and in order to obtain the best results they must have a perfect and sharp point. After a needle is once used it is ordinarily, and as a matter of fact should be. discarded because its point either wears down or becomes distorted whereby its further use injures the sound grooves of the record. This practice however, involves an unnecessary waste since the bulk -of metal is in the needle body. And, owing to the impending shortage of suitablesteel for making these needles and the consequent high market price, it is desirable to repeint used needles for the purpose of vprolonging their life and further use. This may be readily done since, as stated, the body portion of the needle, contains am 1e metal for-resharpeiiing, and therefore eac needle may be repointed a number of 'times beca-use only a relatively small amount is removed at each sharpening operation.

Accordingly, the present invention has in view a novel, practical and reliable machine which may be manufactured at a relatively small cost and successfully utilized to repeint used needles. In this connection it is proposed to provide a machine having but few and inexpensive parts which may be readily adjusted, and which performs the sharpening operation automatically by the simple rotation of an abrasive disk.

Another object of the invention is to -provide a novel form .of needle holding device which will automatically shift the needle across the face of the sharpening disk simultaneously with the rotation thereof, without the use of an expensive screw feed.

A further object of the invention is toy provide a construction which willpermit of the .use of interchangeable needle holding dvibes? whereby it will nel only .be possible Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 19, 1918.

Serial No. 193,171.

which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the

sa ine consists in the novel construction, com

bination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of '65 the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of my device.

Fig. 2 is atop plan viewthereof.

Fig. 3 is a' cross sectional view of the abrasive disk.

Fig.v 4 is a detail view of thebutton usedv to clamp the abrasive sheet to the disk.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation similar to Fig. l, showing a modification of the device.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing a further modification of the invention which includes -a type of needle holder ada ted to be used for sharpening fiber nee les.

Fig. -7 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fi 6.

Fig. 8 is a detail top plan view of the fiber needle holder.

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the construction shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. l0 is a cross sectional view on the line l0-10 of Fig. 8.

Similar references designate corresponding arts throughout the several figures of the ravvings.I

In carrying'the presentinvention into effect, it will be understood that various changes in material and minor structural features may be resorted to in order to meet manufacturing requirements. However, all forms of the invention essentially include an abradin unit, and. a novel needle holding device or supporting and maintaining the needle in proper lrelation thereto.

Referring now to the general features of the invention which are more or less con'imqn to all forms thereof it will be observed that it is roposed to provide a suitable base or stan .1, having mounted thereon a standard 2 provided at its upper end with a journal bearing 3 for receiving a horizontal drive shaft 4 .fitted at one and with e prank 0r handle 5, while the opposite end thereoi` carries the abrasive element designated generally as 6.

This` abrasive element is preterabllv in thc form of a disk or platen which may be made oiE such a t'orrn that the abrasive surface ma)v be renewed when required, thus avoiding the, expense ot' a solid abrasive elementand at the san-1e time providing a disk which is economical from a 1namit`aet'in.'ing standpoint. By reference to -Fig. 2l it will be ob Served that said disk preferably comprises a suitable body T havingr fitted to the reverse side thereotl any suitable shaft connector Such for instance as the boss S tor receiving the shaft l, while its outer periphery is formed with an inturned or tolded holding flange 9 which provides a keeper groove l() for the peripheral edge Iportion ot a renewable abrasive filler 11. such as cnn-ry cloth or the like. Since the cent ral portion of this filler 11 is not used, it is preferably cut away so that a pair of reversi-.ly disposed keeper hooks 125 which project from the central part of the obverse side ol the body 7, may readily engzfage with suitable perforations 13 in aholding button lst that is preferably of laspringy nature, and when in POSliOn and engaged by the hookslocks the central part' of the abrasive. filler to the.

body portion of the platen lvitlfthis construction of the latter it will-be apparent that when the abrasive filler 11 wears out it may be readily replaced. i 'Reference will now he made to the needle holding member of the machine which constitutes a novel and distinctive feature of the present invention. r[his needle holding member in all forms of the machine essentially coperaties with a Suitable tensioning device. That 1s tio sayrin the form of the invention for sharpening steel needles, and

-also the form of the. invention for sharpening fiber needles. said needleholder is'detachably carried b v a suitable tensioningdevice which serves to give the saine the proper set and maintain the pointl ol' the needle in contact with the abrasve or sharpening surface.

In connection with the const rut-tion shown in Figs. 1 -and 2 olI the drawings it will ho observed that the needle. holder essentially includes in its organization a needle -earrier (lesignated generally as A and a suitable supportor standard l for detaclulbly and adjustablyengaging the tension device (l. Said needle carrier A may consist of a tubular barrel 1G having mounted therein a rod 17 provided at one end with a suitable needle gripping chuck element 18 while its other end is formed with a head 19 adapted to he engaged by a suitable spring 20 whose l'ree ond portions are in contact with one side. ot" a traction wheel 21 rigidly7 fitted to the tubular sleeve 16 as indicated at 22. This'traction wheell preferably has a smooth pecarries therewith 1) 0l th(l rod 1T is pushed inwardly against' the tension of the spring Q0. the jaws thereof will open to receive the needle N. but when thespring Q0 is exerting its torce on the underside ofthe head 19. thc rod 17 will-he placed under tension whereby the jaws of the chuck 18 will tightly grip or clamp the needle.. lVhen the needle carrier -l is in its normal condition. that is to say when. the spring 2l) is exerting its influence on the rod 17. it will be clear that the ehuck element 1S will be frictionallv" locked with the tubular barrel 1G, which as prcvioustv indicated the traction wheel 2l. whereby any rotar movement in'ipartcd 4to the traction wheel by the disk (i will also be impartedto the chuck and the needle held therein.

.\s will bc observe-d -t'rom the drawings1 the tubular barrel 1G is .slidably mounted in a suitable sleeve 23. aud as shown when the vbarrel is pushed forward the hub of tht` cent the chuck l'. Thus. it will he clear that' the needle carrier may hav(l a slitting nievenient in the sleeve 23 between the. limits ol the huh of the. wheel 2l and the annular abutment ring Q4.

The said sleeve 23 has t'orlncd integral therewith au ear l] which is pivotally 'con- Heflcd at '35 with the hollow support for standard ll adapted to telescopitallly receive at its lower end theangularly disposed spur 27 on the shaft 2S of thetension device C. l"or the purpose of maintaining the propel vert ical adjustment between the spur or arxn 27 and hollow lstandard l a set screw 2S) may he utilized. 'Anth in order lo place. the shalt :5S under thc necessary spring tension to press' the standard l. inwardly toward thc t'ace ol the abrasive disk, a suitable coil spring il() orits equivalentl may be employed. 'lhe said shaft 28 which carries the spur 27. may be. conveniently journalcd as at 31 in brackets 32 carried by the. base. l.

lVith the. foregoingY arrangement ity will be apparenty that, owingr to the. disposition of the wheel 21 tho entire needle carrier A is maintained at an acute angle with respect to the abrasive surface of the laten 6, whereby the proper angle may e 'ven to the needle point, and when the said p aten is rotated in the direction' of. the arrow shown in Fig. 1 the traction Wheel 21 will also .bedriven in the direction of the arrow thereon si-nce it is in frictional contact with the face of the disk. This movement of the wheel 21 by the disk causes the rotation of the entire needle carrier, and at the same.

time causes the wheell to shift radially from the center of the disk toward the periphery thereof to thus shift the needle carrier as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. This shifting of the carrier across the face of the disk simultaneously with the'rotation thereof is due to the tractive effect of the surface of the disk on the wheel 1, which has the action of a screw in feeding or shifting the wheel from the ,center toward the periphery with increasing speed as the wheel advances from the center toward the `periphery of the disk owing to the larger path traveled by the wheel over the face of the disk as it moves. the desired shifting of the needle carrier A through the frictional engagement of the wheel 21 with the face \of the abrasive element it is `necessary that the longitudinal axis of 'the' needle carrier, which is also the axis of the wheel 21, be in a plane at one side of the axis of the platen or disk, as

shown by the drawings. If the axes of both the wheeland abrasive disk werev located in f the same plane for instance that indicated atmof Fig. 1, the point of tangential contact of the wheel with the disk would also be'in the same plane and the wheel 21 would merely rotate and not shift; However, by making the point of contact of the wheel 21 at either one side or the other of 4a plane intersecting the axis of the disk 6,

the benefit'of a force parallel to a tangent to the disk 6 is utilized to produce the dei ,owing to .thefact that the hub portion 21" sired shifting of the carrier. Accordingly, from the foregoing it will be clear that the needle is rotated, and at the same time the entire needle carrier is drawn across theface of the disk when the same is rotated owing to the manner in which the wheel 21 engages Iwith'the abrasive face of the disk 6."

'Inthev form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawi gs; the lateral shifting of the needle car -ier takes place of the actuating wheel 21l lmay be ,extendedI to abut against 'one end of the sleeve 23l while thefcollar 2 4 n'rr'ially engagesthe In order toproduce opposite end of said sleeve, which unlike the sleeve 23 is formedintegral witha hollow A standard 26" fadjustably fitted4 on 'the' arm 27", pivotallyj secured to theshaft 28* as'indicated ali-27,", and under' tensionof the spring 30.' It will of i'sourse be understood that the movement of-the carrier A in the sleeve 23'* i's not necessarily .limited by 1an extension of.l the hub 21", .since a spacing vferrule or itsequivalent may be utilized., -In this, form, instead of the entire needle carrier 'bei shifted across the face of the disk parallel" osthe diameter thereof it is moved across the facewf the same in the path of an arc Whose center is the point of pivotal connection 27 between the arm 27 and the shaft 28, Thus,'it will be apparent that the 'necessary freedom of movement for drawing the needle across the surface of the abrasive simultaneously with the rotation thereof may be effected either 4through the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 wlhere the entire holder is loosely supported /in the sleeve which is pivotally connected to/the standard` o r by pivoting the" holder to the tensioning device as shown/in Fig. 5.' y K .Figs 6 to l'O'inclusive illustrate a type of needle holder employed for sharpening fiber needles andthe manner/in which it is used. As shown, this form of the 'invention includes the needle holder- A and the platen 6 having the abrasive covering 11, and also the tensioning device C. This tensioning device may be of the same form as that shown in Fig. 5, and preferably includes the shaft journaled in Suitable brackets 34 and having an outstanding ear 35 for pivotally receiving an arm 36 adapted to telescope within the hollow needle carrier 37.

In this form asin the others a suitable spring 30 is utilized for the 'purpose of placing the needle holder under tension and maintaining the same against the face 'of the abrasive.

The said fiber needle. holder is, like the other holders, detachably and adjustably fitted to the arm 36 which may be secured at any desired angle by means of a set screiv, 36a carried by the lower end thereof and having its innerend impinging on the ear 35, and because of this angular aidinstment, combined with the rotary and extensible adjustment of the sta'y'idard 37 on the arm 36, the proper sharpening angle ofthe holder may be readily obtained. Referring to the v structural details of this h older it will be ob# served that the samepreferably carries at its front end a spring tensioned needle' clamping member-39 having a linger piecev 40 for rocking thesame on-the pivotA-l against the tension ofa spring 42 or its equivalent which normally maintains 'the me ber 39v over the socket 38. As"shovi!n inl t e-'drawings, the fiber needle is placed in the end of the. ycarrier 4 and held infc'ontact with the surface'of the 130 Aabrasive 11 as pei' Figs. 6 and T under the v tension ofthe spring 30". And, by adjusting the holder 37 on the aria 36. the length ofv the telescopcd parts nia v be increased or diminished thereby altering the angle between the beveled edge ot the needl and the surt'aee -ot' the disk to obtain the desireif pitch for sharpening the'iieei le.

l.`roin the foregoing i. is thought that the" structure of the present invention will be ifeadily-appareiit. and suininai'izing the novel features thereof it inav be noted that the provision ot" a device which makes possible the use` oi interchaiigeable needle holders is ot special advantage. since. as the machine is partielilarl v intended tor lioi'iie use. all types ot changeable needles usedV on talking ina-- chilies nia be repointet'l expeditiously and `ln connection with thc` needle' accllfratel'v. holder. particolari)1 the l'orinsiheieot' shown ii Figs. to 5. it will be seen thatl not only an adjustable connection is provided between ,the saine and the tension device, but the entire holder has a universal mounting on the tension deviccsince it is'fi'ee to turn on the. arni .27 or 2T" and has an adjustnient parallel tio the axis ot the support oi' standard Iilhrough .the provision oi" the pivots :.25 or 2T". li`urthei'inore. dia` to this inounting and .tlie'disp'ositionlot the wheel 21 of the needle carrier, each and everyY needlesharpened bv the niachine is held at the L saine angle and thus uni'torinlv pointed.

l claiin:-"-"

l.\ needle sharpening niachin'e includ-5 ing 4a pla-ten having an abrasiveTsui-face; a tension device. located at' one .side ot the .platen and .a needle holder :uljustali vr and detachably connected therewith` 2. A: needle shari'ieningn iachine including a plat-'en havingr an abrasive surface, a

tension' device .located at one side theifeolf and including a spring tensioned member, and a. needle. holder detachably and adjust,- ablv connected with the nieniber.

5'. .A needle sharpening',inachin'e includ-r ing abase. a rotary platen having an abrasive sui-fare supported o'n. the base, a tension device ronsist-iiigot brackets carried by the base, a spring tensioned ineinber jou'l'ual'ed in the brackets, and a needle holder adjustalily and detacliably conliecttal to the nieinber.

' 1l. A needle sharpening machine ineludiiig an abrasive. disk and a needle holder including a needle carrier disposed at an angle. to' the disk, aiid n ieans actuated b v the, ijotation ol the disk i'or siniullaneoiislv rotating the. needle carrie' and sliiltingtlie ,saine .on the -l'a'ce thereot.'

A needle, slia-i'pening. inaehinc inrlud.

ing4 ai' aliifi'ilsivedisk and aV needle support inouiited, at one side/otl trhe disk` said needle support beiiigmunder spring tension alid including a needle carrier having a Wheel yadapted to engage with the abrasive surface ot'i said disk.

(S. needle sharpening machine including a disk having an abrasive face. a needle sup? port including a tension device and a needle carrier adjust ably connected therewitlnfand a wheel fitted to said needle carrier and conlactiiig with the disk for shifting the Same across the face thereof.

T. A needle sharpening.r machine including a rotary platen having an abrasive surtace. va tension device located at one side thereof. 'a needle. holdei adjustabl connected to thesaid tension device and 1ncludv 'ing a needle carrier having a needle chuck at one. end and an actuating wheel at the other end. y

S. A needle sharpening machine includlng a i-otarv platen having an abrasive surface,

a tension device located at one side thereof,

a needle holder adgustablv connected to said I l c n n tensioning device and including..r a needle car- .rier andhaving a needle grip'piiig chuck at one end and an actuating wheel attheother end having a smooth perii'ihery engaging with said-abrasive surface of the platen', and said wheel being disposed at an angle to said surface oi? the platen. i

9. needle sharpening inachine including a rotary platen having an 'abrasive surcarrier and Ia support for the carrier having v a sleeve a t.`one`eiu.l for loosely receiving the saine. and means at. the other end for adjust'- abl)Y `and jdetachablv connecting with the 4tension device.

l1.' .\fi`ieedle sharpening machine includingarotary platen havin-gan abrasive Surface. al tension device located at one side thereo iii-needle" holder taniiiected with the tension device and inchuling a needle carrier having 'nie'ans for. shit'tingthe saine. across the abrasive surface i IQ. A needle sharpening machine including-a rotary platen having an abrasive sur- A'tacega tension device located at one side thereof. and a needle holder including u needle. carrier having needle clamping ieansA at onerend and'an actuating vwheel at 'the other. said wheel having its tangential point of contact 'located atone side of a plane intersecting the axis of the platen.

It. L\ needle sharpening inaehine includin, r a rotaifv platen lia-vii'igr an abrasive surface, allension device located at one `side thereof, and a needle holder adjustably conisti nected to Said tensioning device and including a. needle carrier having itsV aX'is lying in a plane disposed at one side of the axis of the 'rotary platen. l

14. A needle sharpening face, a tension device located at one side thereof, and a needle holder adjustably and detachably connected to said tensioning device, said needle holder including a sleeve, a needle carrierl comprisinga barrel slidably mounted in said sleeve, a rod within the barrel having needle clamping .means at onel end and a head at the other, an actuating Wheel secured to said barrel, a spring interposed 'between the head of said rod and one side of said Wheel, `and an abutment ring fitted to the barrel near the needle receiving end whereby the barrel may have a sliding movement in said sleeve. y

15. A needle sharpening machine including an abrasive element, a needle holding device consisting of a needle carrier and a support therefor, and a spring tensioned member adjustably engaged by the support of said device.

16. A needle sharpening machine including an abrasive element, a needle holding device, a tension device, and a jointed and adjustable connection therebetween.

17 .A A needle sharpening machine including a rotatable' platen having an abrasive machine including a rotary platen having an abrasive sursurface, and a needle holding device yie1dably supported at one side ofthe platen ySaid device including a needle carrier having 35 an actuating wheel at one end and a needle chuck atthe other, and said Wheel and'chuck respectively contacting with the abrasive surface of the disk at points located in ade jacent quadrants of the disk at thesa'rne side40 of the axis thereof whereby the chuck is rotated in opposition to the path of movement of the disk.

18. A needle sharpeuinglmachine incmuding a rotatable platen having an abrasive surface, and a needle holding device a ranged at one side thereof, said needle h ing device including a tension device, a su porting vstandard detachably and'adjustab y engaged with the tension device, a" needle-{5}C carrier mounted in said standard'and in rluding a hollow barrel, a rodlocated there 'j'n and having a nee le gripping portion at one end, a spring or placing said rod under tension in one directlon, and an actu- 55 ating Wheel tted to the barrel and contacting with the plateni In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my' signature in the presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL W. oAUsEY.

Witnesses: l

J AMES H. MARR, EMoRY L. GRoFF. 

